How Giants’ 2025 rotation stacks up heading into spring training originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — Before he was formally introduced as the new shortstop for the Giants last month, Willy Adames went down to the field to take pictures. As he walked behind the plate, Adames yelled to two players working out down the right field line. He was trying to get the attention of Jordan Hicks, a longtime opponent in the National League Central.
It was no surprise to anyone in the front office that Hicks was playing catch on that chilly December morning. He has been in San Francisco all offseason, preparing for his second full season as a starting pitcher.
“Every morning I walk in there and Jordan Hicks is working,” general manager Zack Minasian said last week. “I think he’s just trying to get himself in the best shape possible to continue to throw more innings. I think all of us saw early in the season (last year) how good he can be in that role, so him extending that deeper into the season, I think that would be the best thing for the club.”
Minasian and new president of baseball operations Buster Posey have kept some cards close this winter, but they have been adamant that Hicks, a longtime reliever, is in their rotation plans, even with Justin Verlander now in the fold. Posey said he wants a competitive camp, and while Logan Webb, Verlander and Robbie Ray have firmer grips on rotation spots, Hicks should enter camp in a few weeks as the favorite to be the No. 4 or No. 5 starter.
Kyle Harrison would seem to be the frontrunner for the other spot, but Posey mentions often that he wants his young starters to compete. Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp will get an opportunity, too.
“There’s going to be competition,” Posey said after Verlander’s deal became official last week. “There’s going to be competition for these final couple of spots and we feel good about the depth that we have in starting pitching right now and some of the flexibility that’s potentially going to give us.”
In a way, Hicks is emblematic of what the Giants have in every spot other than the one occupied by Webb, who might be the most reliable starting pitcher in the big leagues right now. After Webb takes the ball on Opening Day on March 27 in Cincinnati, every other spot will come with upside, but also question marks.
Verlander will be three seasons removed from his third Cy Young Award and he posted a 3.22 ERA with the New York Mets and Houston…